Recipes for dancers

Start off the season on a healthy note this fall: Have some trout, one of the healthiest fish you can include in your diet. It's filled with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, and also has low levels of contaminants like mercury. Try this recipefor Baked Trout with Shiitake Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Ginger from National Ballet of Canada principal Sonia Rodriguez.

Everybody seems crazy for kale right now. Some experts even argue that it's the superfood of superfoods. One cup has only 33 calories, but contains over 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin C, 200 percent of vitamin A, 10 percent each of folate and calcium, and even a couple grams of protein. But the vegetable in its raw form can be a bit rough (it's known as a go-to digestive aid for a reason). How can you make it tastier?

What you eat when you're injured can change how quickly you get back in the studio. In The Injury Diet: Foods That Heal in Pointe's current issue, Royal Winnipeg Ballet apprentice Emily Docherty shared how her stress fractures didn't get better until she looked at her nutrition. Now she pays close attention to her daily meals.

Dancers live hectic lives. There isn't always time to cook up the ideal snack. Carolina Ballet corps de ballet member Cecilia Iliesiu takes a short cut: Her homemade "energy bites" skip the baking process altogether. All you have to do is stir the ingredients together, roll into balls and eat! "They're a great protein boost for five-minute rehearsal breaks during the day, or between acts during a show," says Iliesiu. She shared her recipe with Pointe.

Healthy eating is always more fun when it comes in the form of finger food. Shelby Elsbree, a Royal Danish Ballet dancer and a prolific amateur chef, created this light and refreshing recipe: "I decided to try a spin on the summer salads I've been experimenting with this season, and came up with a fun way to serve one of my staple combinations."

Put down the Pop-Tart. Loading up on healthy fuel in the morning will lead to much more productive day in the studio. Ballet Memphis dancer Stephanie Mei Hom, who loves to cook—and eat!—likes to wake up to a boost of nutrients and antioxidants. Here's one of her favorite breakfast dishes.

Fall has officially arrived. With Thanksgiving just one month away and Christmas two months away, cold-weather cravings have kicked into high gear. And yet Nutcracker looms right around the corner. Luckily, one of my favorite dancers, Shelby Elsbree of the Royal Danish Ballet, emailed today with her recipe for a seasonal, yet nutritious spiced granola.